Coke's New Cane-Sweetened Soda Risks Upending Sugar Supplies [View all]
Source: Bloomberg
July 23, 2025 at 7:00 AM EDT
Updated on July 23, 2025 at 12:33 PM EDT
After four decades drinking Coca-Cola sweetened with corn syrup, Americans are going to get the chance to buy the soda made from domestic cane sugar. But whether US farmers can meet that demand is unclear.
Coca-Cola Co. said Tuesday it will launch the new Coke variety this fall, a week after President Donald Trump said the company had agreed to start using the sweetener.
The move is hardly an outlandish idea. In fact, Coke sold in other countries like Mexico is sweetened with cane sugar. And the company relied on cane sugar before switching to high fructose corn syrup around 1980. While the company will still be using corn syrup for original Coke, the addition of a domestic cane-based soda could help growers in Louisiana and Florida at a time when demand has been slow.
However, a sustained bump in demand — especially if other companies follow Coca-Cola’s lead — risks outstripping homegrown availability. US cane only makes up about 30% of overall domestic sugar supplies, according to the US Department of Agriculture. The rest comes from imports, which were about 2.2 million metric tons for the 2025-26 season, and American-grown sugar beets that perform better in colder climates.
Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-07-23/coke-s-new-cane-sweetened-soda-risks-upending-us-sugar-supplies
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